Principal Automation Test Consultant

The Scale Factory; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 Days of Annual Leave

Pension Plan

Health Benefits

Hybrid working

Annual rail cards

Flexible Work Model

Training & Certifications support

Job summary

The Scale Factory in the United Kingdom is seeking a Principal Software Developer in Test to lead automation and performance testing initiatives for diverse client projects. You will design, develop, and maintain automation frameworks, mentor engineers, and stay ahead with tool-agnostic approaches to testing strategy.

Leverage your extensive experience in consultancy or managed services to deliver high-quality testing solutions, collaborate with clients to tailor QA plans, and drive excellence

Qualifications

• 10+ years of automation and/or performance testing experience.
• Extensive consultancy or managed service background.
• Leadership of technical testers and teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and Develop: Build and support automation or performance test frameworks using appropriate solutions.
• Collaborate with Clients: Understand requirements and tailor QA strategies.
• Provide Expert Insights: Conduct technical QA health checks to improve testing approaches.
• Lead and Mentor: Guide a team of engineers with mentorship and technical leadership.
• Innovate: Recommend new tools and processes to enhance testing capabilities.
• Deliver Excellence: Create documentation and impactful solutions that meet expectations.

Skills

Automation testing

Performance testing

Team leadership

Java

TypeScript/JavaScript

Python

SCRUM/Kanban

Tools

Playwright

Selenium

Cypress

FlaUI

Katalon

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

CircleCI

Job description

About Scale Factory

We are an AI enablement consultancy. Delivering quality-led AI-first foundations, embedding capability and excellence into the foundational fabric of the companies we work with. We give leaders the confidence to move faster, take smarter risks and pursue transformation.

Formerly Ten10, we have deep roots in Quality which means we don't just build for the future, we ensure it actually works. We combine this engineering discipline with cutting-edge AI expertise to deliver robust, scalable foundations that turn ambitious transformation into reliable reality.

Here's why you'll love being part of our team:

• Exciting Projects: Collaborate on challenging, impactful projects with a wide range of industries - from finance to government and beyond
• Career Growth: Tailored training and development opportunities to help you reach your goals
• Team Culture: Join a supportive, inclusive team that values collaboration, creativity, and innovation
• Flexibility: Hybrid working lets you balance work and life

About the Role

As a Principal Software Developer in Test, you'll bring your extensive knowledge of software engineering, automation, and performance testing to create bespoke solutions for our clients. You'll also take a leadership role, guiding your team to success and leading by example. You will:

• Design and Develop: Build and support automation or performance test frameworks using the most appropriate solutions. Whether open source or commercial, or a combination.
• Collaborate with Clients: Work closely with clients to understand their requirements and create tailored QA strategies.
• Provide Expert Insights: Conduct technical QA health checks to assess and improve client approaches to automation or performance testing.
• Lead and Mentor: Guide a team of talented engineers, providing mentorship and technical leadership.
• Innovate: Stay tool-agnostic, recommending new tools and processes to continually enhance our clients’ testing capabilities
• Deliver Excellence: Create clear, concise documentation and deliver impactful solutions that exceed expectations.

What We're Looking For

If you don't tick every box but are excited about the role, we'd still love to hear from you. Passion and potential are just as important as experience.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Eligibility for Security Clearance
• 10+ years of experience in automation and/or performance testing
• Extensive experience in a Consultancy or Managed Service environment
• Proven leadership skills, including managing teams of technical testers
• Hands-on experience with automation tools like Playwright, Selenium, Cypress, FlaUI, or Katalon
• Proficiency in performance testing tools like JMeter, Gatling, K6, Neoload, or Webload
• Strong coding skills in at least one language such as Java, TypeScript JavaScript, Python, C#, Scala, or PHP
• Experience designing and building automation frameworks
• Familiarity with Agile development environments (SCRUM, Kanban, TDD, BDD)
• Implementing pipelines using common tooling such as Jenkins, ADO, GitHub actions, CirlceCI etc
• Awareness of the latest developments in testing tools and design patterns

Bonus Points for:

• Experience with emerging technologies, e.g using AI/ML within your engineering projects
• Familiarity with testing in cloud environments such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud

What's in It for You?

At Scale Factory, we believe in recognising and rewarding great work. Here's what you can expect:

• 25 Days of Annual Leave: Plus 1 extra day every year for the first three years, with a holiday buying scheme.
• Pension Plan: Employer-matched contributions up to 5%.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive coverage for medical, dental, optical, and alternative therapies.
• Fitness Support: Subsidised gym memberships and a bike-to-work scheme.
• Commuter Benefits: Season ticket loans to make travel easier.
• Free Annual Rail Cards
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Flexible Work Model: Hybrid working that fits your lifestyle.
• Social Events: From annual kick-offs and Christmas parties to team socials and sporting events, we love celebrating success together.
• Training & Development: Tailored learning opportunities and full support for certifications to keep your skills sharp.

Let's Build the Future Together

We're on the lookout for passionate, talented individuals who are ready to make an impact. Whether you're an experienced automation tester or a developer with a flair for QA, we want to hear from you.